The call of the honeyguide what science tells us about how to live well with the rest of life

"How rethinking our relationships with other species can help us reimagine the future of humankind. In the woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa, sometime deep in our species' past, something strange happened: a bird called out, not to warn others of human presence, but to call attention to herself. Havin...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Dunn, Rob (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: New York, NY : Basic Books, 2025.
Edition:First edition.
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Summary:"How rethinking our relationships with other species can help us reimagine the future of humankind. In the woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa, sometime deep in our species' past, something strange happened: a bird called out, not to warn others of human presence, but to call attention to herself. Having found a beehive, that bird-a honeyguide-sought human aid to break in. The behavior can seem almost miraculous: How would a bird come to think that people could help her? Isn't life simply bloodier than that? As Rob Dunn argues in The Call of the Honeyguide, it isn't. Nature is red in tooth and claw, but in equal measure, life works together. Cells host even smaller life, wrapped in a web of mutual interdependence. Ants might go to war, but they also tend fungi, aphids, and even trees. And we humans work not just with honeyguides but with yeast, crops, and pets. Ecologists call these beneficial relationships mutualisms. And they might be the most important forces in the evolution of life. We humans often act as though we are all alone, independent from the rest of life. As The Call of the Honeyguide shows, we are not. It is a call to action for a more beneficent, less lonely future"--
Physical Description:vii, 341 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (pages 295-330) and index.
ISBN:9781541605732
154160573X
Author Notes:Rob Dunn is professor in the Department of Applied Ecology and senior vice provost at North Carolina State University. He is the author of seven previous books, including A Natural History of the Future and Never Home Alone . He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.